Vikings: Valhalla, the spinoff sequel to the widely praised and popular series, Vikings, is set 100 years after the events of the original show, and is just as bloody and gory. The season finale was particularly overwhelming, with a lot of twists, turns and a fierce showdown. Jeb Stuart, the show’s creator sat down with Decider to discuss the emotional epsiode.
All eight episodes of the first season premiered on Netflix on Feb. 25 and depict the exploits of Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), Freydis Eriksdotter (Frida Gustavsson), and Harald Hardrada (Leo Suter).
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Vikings: Valhalla’s ending.
Stuart dove into the similarities of the characters, as well as their relationship dynamics, and the lineage of Erik the Red:
I think having him reach that point, there’s a part of Leif that I always wanted to play with, which is, he and Freydis are the children of Erik the Red. And we know that Erik the Red had a very dark underbelly to him as well. He was a Norse Viking who was expelled to Iceland. He killed somebody in Iceland, he was expelled and he had to find Greenland. Who is this guy? And why did he spawn these two children who are very different and yet they embody different parts of their father. So I think you’re seeing a little Erik the Red come out at the end there and what he does is that character is very exciting in the future.
The show depicts the tension between the Vikings and the English royals. Bradley Freegaerd also stars as King Canute “the Great” alongside Laura Berlin as Emma of Normandy. The iconic Battle of Stamford Bridge is covered in the series. Rounding out the rest of the cast are Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Caroline Henderson and David Oakes.
Netflix had initially ordered 24 episodes of Vikings: Valhalla, so we are expecting a second season, especially with the series finale leaving many questions unanswered. At this time though, there is no news of when another series will air.